NSAC E-Bulletin

Please forward your submissions to the NSAC E-Bulletin to Stephanie Rogers (news@nsac.ca) by Friday at 3:00 p.m. for inclusion in the next week's edition.

Students’ Union Office & Hours, June - August 2005

In order to clear up any confusion, please note that NSAC Students’ Union office is temporarily located in the Dairy Building of the NSAC Campus (in the Peer Ed./RESPECT room). Students’ Union hopes to return to their location in Cox Institute in late August.

Mary McPhee is representing the SU across campus this summer. Originally, Mary was attempting to include all commitments within 20 office hours per week, but due to the volume of activities and commitments, Mary will now hold different hours. In general, Mary will be in the office Monday-Thursday from 8:30-4:30. In instances where it is necessary, she will also hold hours in the evenings, or on Friday, but only with advance notice. Updated schedules will be posted a week in advance.

Students’ Union appreciates the patience and understanding of our colleagues after our move, and apologize for any inconvenience due to scheduling. We look forward to working with you all.

M. McPhee

Groupwise Training Sessions

As part of the GroupWise implementation for faculty and staff, training will be held on the following dates;

Training - basic – multiple session during week of Aug 15 to 19 - Room 23, Cox Institute,

Training - advanced - multiple sessions during week of Aug 22 to 26 - Room 23, Cox Institute,

Additional sessions will be scheduled as required once the semester starts.

Please keep posted to the E-Bulletin for information on how to register and so on.

Relaunch of YEC Online celebrates first day of science internships for 15 Maritime teens

HALIFAX – Today is the first day of an exciting summer for 15 exceptional Maritime youth who have been chosen to participate in the Youth Education and Communications Program (YEC). This program, coordinated by the Atlantic Provinces Council on the Sciences (APICS), provides teens with unique summer jobs that are designed to spark and nurture an interest in science and technology. It gives students the chance to experience science ‘hands-on’ by assisting researchers at leading post-secondary and research facilities.

Kasta Walsh, 20, Truro has been placed at the NSAC in the Plant Genomics lab under the supervision of Dr. Gefu Wang-Pruski. Please view the complete article.

Seminar Series on Northern Ghana

Visiting Ghanaian Educators Offer their insight on July: 4th, 5th, & 6th
from Noon to 1:00pm NSAC, Cox 164 Feel free to bring your lunch!

Monday, July 4th

Obed Obiri-Yeboah:
“Cotton Farming in Northern Ghana: Improving Livelihoods Through Contract Agriculture”

Dr. Zephyrinus K. M. Batse:
“Environmental Impact of Entrepreneurial Activities”

Tuesday, July 5th
Adiza Sadik:
“Gender Issues at Tamale Polytechnic: Is Culture a Factor?”

Alhassan Abdul-Razak:
“A Snapshot of Tamale Polytechnic: the Evolution of an Educational Institution in Northern Ghana”

Wednesday, July 6th
Aliata Issahaq Mumuni:
“Small Scale Enterprise in Wa (Upper West Region, Ghana): Pito Brewing”

Azigwe John Bosco:
“Enhancing Business Opportunities in the Ghanaian Rural Economy”

For more information contact NSAC International.

June 26 is Tax Freedom Day

Tax Freedom Day in Canada falls on Sunday this year, according to calculations by the Fraser Institute.

The annual study says Canadians, on average, will have paid the total tax bill imposed on them by all levels of government for the year by Saturday.

The tax rate - total taxes as a percentage of cash income - that the average Canadian family faces is unchanged from last year.

Since 2001, Tax Freedom Day has steadily advanced. It fell on June 19 in 2001, June 23 in 2002, June 24 in 2003, and June 25 in 2004.

"Tax Freedom Day gives Canadians a true picture of their total tax burden," said Niels Veldhuis, senior research economist at the right-wing think tank.

Veldhuis notes that Tax Freedom Day is not intended to measure the benefits Canadians receive from governments in return for their taxes. Rather, it looks at the price they pay for government.

"It's up to individual Canadians to decide how much value they receive in return for their tax dollars," he noted.

The institute says the average Canadian family experienced a $1,194 increase in their total tax bill between 2004 and 2005.

Nearly half of the rise was due to increases in personal income taxes.

Tax Freedom Day for each province varies.

The calculations include income taxes, property taxes and sales taxes, as well as profit taxes, health, social security and employment taxes, import duties, licence fees, alcohol and tobacco taxes, natural resource fees, fuel taxes and hospital taxes.

© The Canadian Press 2005